Henry Cejudo Trades the Cage for the Ring in Misfits Boxing Debut

Henry Cejudo is done chasing UFC gold — for now he's chasing a boxing ring. Misfits Boxing confirmed Wednesday that the 39-year-old former Olympic wrestling champion and two-division UFC titleholder will make his boxing debut on Sept. 26 at the James L. Knight Arena in Miami, squaring off against influencer boxer Deen The Great.

It's a hard left turn for a man whose MMA ledger reads 16-6 with eight knockouts and zero submissions. Cejudo hung up the gloves for a second time in December after dropping a unanimous decision to Payton Talbott at UFC 323, a loss that pushed him out of the bantamweight rankings and, apparently, out of the cage entirely.

Retirement hasn't meant rest. Cejudo went back to his roots on the wrestling mat, competing twice for Real American Freestyle, most recently losing on points to reigning UFC bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili. The two rematch this Saturday at RAF 12 in Cleveland — so before Cejudo even laces up boxing gloves, he's got unfinished business in a singlet.

Not a Total Novice

Don't file this under complete beginner. Cejudo actually has amateur boxing hardware, winning the Arizona State Copper Gloves tournament back in 2010. That's a long time ago, but it's more legitimate combat-boxing pedigree than most crossover names bring to a Misfits card.

His opponent knows this lane well. Deen The Great is among the most active names in the influencer-boxing circuit, carrying a 7-1 exhibition record. His most recent outing didn't go his way — he dropped a decision to Amado Vargas, son of former world champion Fernando Vargas, at Misfits Mania in December.

The Cejudo booking lands in a moment when the wall between boxing and MMA keeps crumbling. Jake Paul, now 12-2 with seven KOs, still talks openly about a jump to MMA even after his sixth-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua. Cejudo's just running the trade in reverse. Whether an ex-flyweight and bantamweight king can translate wrestling and MMA striking into clean boxing against a seasoned crossover act is the whole draw — and we'll find out on Sept. 26.